Issue 20 - New car registrations up 5.4% in October, SMMT warns ZEV Mandate gap will widen

October's registrations rose 5.4% and battery electric cars took almost a third of sales, yet SMMT says the market is falling further behind the ZEV Mandate's 2026 and 2028 targets, and is pressing government to cut them. For vans, falling diesel prices still leave electric cheaper per mile above 8,610 annual miles, while VED rates for cars and vans rise with RPI from April 2027, a modest but certain addition to total cost of ownership.